Migration Application Fees to Increase by 15% from 1 September 2013

By Mark Webster
Thursday, 08 August 2013

As part of the 2013-14 Economic Statement, The Government has announced that Department of Immigration application fees will increase across the board by 15% from 1 September 2013. The only visas exempt from the increases are Student visas and Visitor visas.

How Much Will the Fees Increase By?

Fees will increase by 15% for most applications. A sample of the changes is below:

Visa Type

Current Fee

From 1 Sep

Increase

457 Temporary Worker (Skilled)

$900

$1,035

$135

Partner (Onshore)

$3,975

$4,575

$600

Partner (Offshore)

$2,680

$3,085

$405

General Skilled Migration

$3,060

$3,520

$460

Temporary Graduate 485

$1,250

$1,440

$190

Working Holiday

$365

$420

$55

Contributory Parent 2nd VAC

$42,220

$48,550

$6,330

Why Should Visa Applicants be Concerned About the Increases?

In the Economic Statement paper, there is no discussion or rationale for the increase. Whilst we see additional expenditure in the Immigration portfolio for asylum seeker processing and detention, no initiatives have been announced to improve visa processing for the applicants affected by the fee increases.

When looking at Immigration Department annual reports, the cost of processing visa applications is already covered by application fees collected. It is fairly clear that family sponsored and economic stream applicants are heavily subsidising processing and detention of asylum seekers.

It is also of concern that no Regulation Impact Statement has been done on the effect of the fee increases. The stated reason is because the measures are "primarily revenue in nature". Given the increase is significant, and comes on top of a series of previous fee increases, there is no doubt that the change will impact on businesses, education providers and individuals.

How Can I Avoid the Increase?

If you would like to avoid the 15% increase to fees, please contact us to discuss lodging your application before the price rise. You can calculate the current fees by using our visa application fee calculator.